Pat Delany was not long for the minor leagues, parlaying a single season in the D-League into a spot on an NBA bench. The Skyforce coach accepted a job as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, Sioux Falls president Mike Heineman said Wednesday night.

It's a handsome reward for leading the Force to a mark of 31-19 and their first playoff berth since 2010. They were ousted in the semifinals by eventual champ Fort Wayne.

The Miami Heat assigned Delany to Sioux Falls shortly after the Heat took control of Skyforce basketball operations last summer, part of an exclusive affiliation agreement.

Heineman figured this day was coming; it was just a matter of when and what team. The 34-year-old Delany had been with Miami since 2002, starting as a video intern.

He has a tie with the franchise formerly known as the Bobcats, too: Coach Steve Clifford spent time as an assistant coach at St. Anselm College, the NCAA Division II school where Delany played.

"With a guy like Pat, you're just waiting for the day you get the call," Heineman said. "When he called, I wasn't surprised."

The call came a couple of days ago. Delany – who couldn't be reached for comment – alerted Heineman of the move. Then the Heat called to confirm.

The process of finding a replacement will be different on two fronts: Sioux Falls staffers won't really be involved – that was the case with bringing in Delany, too – and the club doesn't figure to suffer during the hiring process. That's because Miami assistant general manager Adam Simon doubles as the Force GM for basketball operations, serving as the point man for scouting and evaluation.

In the past, the Sioux Falls coach handled those duties, meaning hitting the NBA Summer League season – that starts this weekend in Orlando and next week in Vegas – without one was problematic.

"I trust that they'll find the right guy," Heineman said. "They did with Pat – they hit a home run with Pat."

Miami could hire from within, having flanked Delany with longtime Heat employee Octavio De La Grana and former NBA center Sean Rooks last season. There's no official timetable for tabbing a successor.

Sioux Falls is no stranger to coaching changes. This will be its sixth since joining the D-League in 2006-07. But Delany, a New Jersey native and father of two, is the first in that time to leave directly for the NBA.

This is a bittersweet offseason call-up for the local club.

"I'm really happy for him," Heineman said. "He deserves it – great coach, great guy. Really bummed personally – he's a good friend, someone I really enjoyed being around. He was great with our fans, and our fans loved him. I can see what Charlotte saw in him."